LOOK UP

They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.

(Psalm 34:5, NKJV) 

As I read the above verse, there was an unconscious call to look up as in the title of our verse.  I mused on the looking at God’s face, the radiance of His glory and wondered what impact it would have on my life. The bible tells us that God is not just our Father but is the Father of all lights (James 1:17), He is not just the creator of light but He Himself is light and dwells in light.  Let that sink in for a moment, see the space as described and take in the kind of environment that God dwells in and to which we are invited.

 Often times, we look at different things depending on what is happening around us and what we understand as important at that time. Unconsciously, what we are looking at in the spirit, reflects on our bodies and others get a sense of what is happening.  When we are burdened at heart, we tend to look down even as we walk, our eyes are down and we fail to look up, our shoulders manifest the weight we feel in our emotions as they bend over, other times we experience shoulder pains, clenched fists or even aching jaws.  All these are a signal of what is happening emotionally to us.  Unfortunately, this downward looking heart posture, shows us an endless dark tunnel, taking away our energy, confidence, strength and hope. I have found myself there and at times, it has taken the words of others to give me awareness of my heart posture.

 Where we look and focus on, has a direct influence on our spirits and our bodies too, whether we realize it or not.  With this knowledge, we can help ourselves by choosing what to focus on.  (Romans 12:1) reminds us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds.  Beloved, it all starts in our minds and we can change our thinking by renewing it by the word and promises of God for us.  Even in the midst of challenges, we can choose to look up, David said that he would look to the hills where his help came from (Psalm 121:1) that is our promise too, we look up to God and we find our help so that our faces are radiant and confident as we face the situations in our lives.  We cannot look up to God and remain the same, He will lift up the burden from our heavy hearts, take away our fear and shame and in His love, give us His joy. Jesus Himself implored us in (Matthew 11:28) to draw near to Him, let go our weary hearts and the heavy burdens we carry so that we receive His rest.  Beloved, take a physical step and lift your head up, take a deep breath, and allow the burden that you carry roll over from your shoulders. For a moment, look at our Father’s creation just outside your window, see His might and power, be reminded that you are of great value to Him, you are His child and He will deal with all what concerns you (Psalm 138:8).  Give it to Him, His mercies for you endure every moment including now.  There is a way out, look up to the Father and let your countenance change as He takes over.  Allow your heart to experience His strength and love, He is for you.

Thoughts:

Where is your focus?  What are you seeing?

What do you need to let go?

How will you position yourself for rest?